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To examine the effects of complex cognitive (mahjong) and physical (Tai Chi) activities on dementia severity in nursing home residents with dementia.

Methods:

Cluster-randomized open-label controlled design. 110 residents were randomized by nursing home into three conditions: mahjong, Tai Chi, and simple handicrafts (control). Activities were conducted three times a week for 12 weeks. Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) was taken at 0 (baseline), 3 (post-treatment), 6, and 9 months. The outcome measure was CDR sum-of-box, which is a composite measure of both cognitive and functional deterioration in dementia.

Results:

Intent-to-treat analyses were performed using multilevel regression models. Apolipoprotein E ε4 allele and education were included as covariates. Neither treatments had effects on the cognitive and functional components of the CDR, but mahjong had a significant interaction with time on the CDR sum-of-box total, suggesting a slower rate of global deterioration in the mahjong group as compared with the control group.

Conclusions:

Mahjong led to a gradual improvement in global functioning and a slightly slower rate of dementia progression over time. The effect was generalized and was not specific to cognition or daily functioning.

Background: This study examined the use of low doses of antipsychotic medications (300 mg/day CPZeq or less) in older Asian patients with schizophrenia and its demographic and clinical correlates.

Methods: Information on hospitalized patients with schizophrenia, aged 55 years or older, was extracted from the database of the Research on Asian Psychotropic Prescription Patterns (REAP) study (2001–2009). Data on 1,452 patients in eight Asian countries and territories including China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, India, and Malaysia were analyzed. Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics and antipsychotic prescriptions were recorded using a standardized protocol and data collection procedure.

Results: The prescription frequency for low doses of antipsychotic medications was 40.9% in the pooled sample. Multiple logistic regression analysis of the whole sample showed that patients on low doses of antipsychotic medications were more likely to be female, have an older age, a shorter length of illness, and less positive symptoms. Of patients in the six countries and territories that participated in all the surveys between 2001 and 2009, those in Japan were less likely to receive low doses of antipsychotics.

Conclusion: Low doses of antipsychotic medications were only applied in less than half of older Asian patients with schizophrenia.

A low-range pressure sensor (0-100kPa) based on the P(VDF-TrFE) piezoelectric thin film is proposed, where the long-term drift is eliminated by operating near the piezoelectric resonance. The pressure sensor is designed for blood pressure and tissue swelling pressure monitoring. The poled 50μm±1μm P(VDF-TrFE) copolymer film is used as the sensing element, with all fabrication and assembly materials biocompatible. A modified Butterworth-Van Dyke (BVD) [1] equivalent circuit model is used to characterize the sensor behavior. The pressure sensor exhibits negligible drift in weeks of operation. The device shows a sensitivity of 0.038MHz/kPa resonance frequency shift under stress, which leads to a maximum readout change of 1.1%/kPa in the present setup.

The chromosome 8q24 region (specifically, 8q24.21.a) is known to harbor variants associated with risk of breast, colorectal, prostate, and bladder cancers. In 2008, variants rs10505477 and rs6983267 in this region were associated with increased risk of invasive ovarian cancer (p < 0.01); however, three subsequent ovarian cancer reports of 8q24 variants were null. Here, we used a multi-site case-control study of 940 ovarian cancer cases and 1,041 controls to evaluate associations between these and other single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in this 8q24 region, as well as in the 9p24 colorectal cancer associated-region (specifically, 9p24.1.b). A total of 35 SNPs from previous reports and additional tagging SNPs were assessed using an Illumina GoldenGate array and analyzed using logistic regression models, adjusting for population structure and other potential confounders. We observed no association between genotypes and risk of ovarian cancer considering all cases, invasive cases, or invasive serous cases. For example, at 8q24 SNPs rs10505477 and rs6983267, analyses yielded per-allele invasive cancer odds ratios of 0.95 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.82–1.09, p trend 0.46) and 0.97 (95% CI 0.84–1.12, p trend 0.69), respectively. Analyses using an approach identical to that of the first positive 8q24 report also yielded no association with risk of ovarian cancer. In the 9p24 region, no SNPs were associated with risk of ovarian cancer overall or with invasive or invasive serous disease (all p values > 0.10). These results indicate that the SNPs studied here are not related to risk of this gynecologic malignancy and that the site-specific nature of 8q24.21.a associations may not include ovarian cancer.

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